In Memory of Little Dave Cumins
It’s with a heavy heart that we are sharing the tragic news of the passing of Little Dave Cumins, our friend and treasured member of Southdowns Orienteers. On Friday 12th June Little Dave very sadly lost the battle he had been fighting. We will miss so much about Dave, his kindness, his generosity, his undaunted enthusiasm and not least his willingness to always collect the furthest away controls. Rest in peace Little Dave.
Dave arrived at Southdowns as a seasoned hill racer with legs of steel. He quickly discovered that there was more to learn than just being able to run fast if you want to be successful at orienteering and he accepted the challenge wholeheartedly. His dedication to orienteering was unparalleled, learning from every mistake, of which there were a few. Many will have enjoyed his post race chats and his race reports on Strava, describing with great humour accounts of the trials and tribulations of every run. He sums himself up nicely in his own words…
I hear a scream, a shout and see Scarlet on the floor, obviously distressed, I run across to check and find she has gone over badly on her ankle.
And just like that, suddenly orienteering racing just doesn't seem a priority anymore. Have a look at Scarlet's ankle and it's swelling. She tells me to run on, but my race is over, I'm gonna have to sacrifice the win this time. Suddenly I'm just not interested in racing. We leave nobody behind.
On to the next activity. A leg workout, load carry. Scarlet kindly agrees to assist me in some hilly rough load carry training. My legs are loving the workout. A strange sight as both myself and Scarlet dib at the finish control.
Dave belonged to many running communities across the country and his passing has rocked us all. He was such a dear selfless man, kind and tender, always ready to help. Little Dave was a big man, with a big heart and will always be remembered that way. We hope that you are now running free in the mountains wearing your famous pink shorts.
The club will be finding an appropriate way to mark his passing in the coming months.